Hallucinogenic Pearl
A Lab on Fire (2018)

Expensive, sexy, new car smell with a juicy raspberry ketone top note intermingling with suede and dried out by iris. I love this fragrance and I think its one of the more unique ones in the world. Id say it has a cold feeling to it... Smells like winter to me.

I tried this one based on the name alone, and sadly did not pay attention to the note breakdown ahead of time. This is an iris scent, and with any scent that uses iris as its heart (i.e. Dior Homme Intense) - that's all I get. And to my nose, iris can never be separated from the smell of the inside of an old woman's purse, or lipstick. Yet people seem to love this note, fragrances that use it seem to get award after award, and fragheads and reviewers seem to put them on their lists of "must-haves". For me, I'm afraid it's a "must-avoid". I just can't do iris. It may be pillowy soft and cloudy, but it smells like makeup to me. Nothing more, nothing less. Sorry, iris.

But if you are a fan of iris and want to see how violet and iriesene soften it into something else, eventually drying down to a pleasant musky, woody base - try this one out.

If I were simply rating for myself, I'd give this a solid thumbs down. But given how many people love the iris note, I just can't bring myself to do that. I'll give it a neutral rating. But for me, no thanks.

There’s nothing hallucinogenic about Hallucinogenic Pearl. Rather than anything outrageous or odd, it’s a low-key, somewhat old-fashioned but still modern iris and suede scent.

The “old-fashioned” comes in the form of Iriseine: a vintage base by de Laire (now owned by Symrise), whose bases were amongst the most significant in early 20th century perfumery. Perfumer Emilie Coppermann deploys Iriseine with a delicate touch, marrying it to violet, iris, and soft musk. The result is mature sophistication that’s as soft as a baby’s blanket.

On my skin, the sillage is subdued and the longevity middling, but you wouldn’t want to clout people over the head with this, anyway. Hallucinogenic Pearl’s aura of subtle intrigue seems best suited for snuggling close with a loved one or some quiet time alone.